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Tuesday, August 28, 2012

My start was all 'high hat' style of course and then my life changed dramatically with one phone call. I got a new job!

So as the days that I'd scheduled for work on this little project blog tour participation dwindled with chaotic new work schedules, the drama increased!

My plan was to create a new piece with Carol's Bowls With Borders paper piecing. Where I live is a constant influence in my art, my life and my choices for recreation. In the photo above, I actually hand sewed the paper piecing. I bet that is a first! They turned out really well, but the hand stitching wouldn't let me tear away the paper.

I imagined a modern piece, the graph paper told me so and I continued. I free hand drew my version of a sockeye on the back side of iron on stabilizer on red linen.

I am a fisher as you all know by now! I've been out to the lake on my days off work harvesting sockeye salmon and enjoying the hot summer sun as we baked in the boat on Babine Lake.

Sockeye salmon as they turn towards their inland birthing grounds, they return in droves to spawn each year. They sockeye we caught are headed for the Fulton River Hatchery. They turn a dark red color as they get to the end of their life. When we catch them they are still silver with only a tinge of pinkish skin. Lovely fresh and perfect food for the God's!

I inserted my sockeye into the design as seen here, after placing black around the bowls!

My sockeye looks a little crooked, but no worries, that was the plan!

Sashiko stitching is starting to happen here. I used a white wash out fabric pencil to outline the shape of the sockeye salmon on the black fabric surrounding the bowls.

Ta Dah! Sashiko stitching is done! Bowls with borders are a perfect template for Sashiko stitching.

So these are my version of Bowls With Borders and so happy to participate! Thanks Carol for organizing this one! I sew enjoyed it!

As you are aware the other quilters have been busy working on various Bowls With Border quilts, do check them out.

Friday, August 24, 2012

Time is flying by and the t-shirt quilt orders are coming in. You knew that I made all sorts of quilted items and making T-shirt quilts are so personal.

This one was made for a young woman who loves to ski! Her Mom commissioned me to make this in crisp winter colors for her daughter's home in Whistler.

When I make t-shirt quilts its like I get to know the person a little bit. Simply by the choices in t-shirts they buy.

And the varied backings I use to finish my t-shirt quilts.

Here is a recent starting place for another t-shirt quilt. I am not a production line type artist, I take the time each quilt needs to speak of the full spirit of the person the quilt is intended for, such as this next one is for a young lady who is environmentally focused and I'm so pleased that she picked me to make this special going to university quilt for her.

This photo is just the starting point of where I've stabilized the t's and starting to make decisions about how they all go together. Much more work to do before the next post on its completion.

Her color choices were hot pink, black, light blue and lime green solid color in organic cotton fro Robert Kaufmann. I have all these colors and more. This modern quilt below is using organic cotton prints from Cloud9 Fabrics.

Then all quilts come to the end and I must part with them. This photo is taken on the Quick Bridge over Bulkley River with my friends who happened to be walking by!

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Sorry and many apologies!

I hadn't written this giveaway in my daybook and so it goes, I forgot about it. I'm happy to report that last night, my faithful, loving hubby who rolls his eyes at my blog thing, did the right thing for me and chose between only three entries for Canadian Birds giveaway!

We didn't do the random generator online to choose, I wrote the names of the three comments and then he did the 'eenie, meanie, minie, moe" choosing of our kindergarten years and came up with Mike!

Congrats, Mike, you have won a meter of the remaining Canadian Birds fabric from the quilt posting here for my hubbies new quilt Canadian Birds.

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

This New Modern quilting tutorial got started after I heard from several locals and received some emails from my blog readers that they are confused with the "New Modern Thing" and rightly so.

I kind of knew something about the use of 'negative space' on quilts, as in this pillow cover I made many years ago now.

Who wouldn't be if you have been learning how to make quilts the 'old fashioned way' and then came along the gadgets, rulers, etc. So I've had some time to reflect on this and did suggest in previous posts that some tutorials were coming and here is one!

Modern Quilting has taken a great run at the the establishment of traditional quilters!

Modern Quilting seems to be driven by young women and men that like to use 'negative' space in their quilt making process. There is nothing wrong with this, its just what it is. The same rules apply if you are looking for a great quilt that will last many generations and be handed down to your kids. The basic rules of quilting still apply, make 1/4 in. seams, press well, measure correctly and cut after measuring twice.

I personally love it, as I'm a past recovered victim of the 'quilt police' and had to defend my methods from some kindly quilters who thought I was slightly not all there! They tried they're best to help me as I happily went my own path. This is where Modern Quilting really unfolds for me and perhaps its why many are drawn to it today. It appears to have no rules.

Canadian Girl Quilt Tutorial

So this is where this tutorial starts. I did not measure all the fabric used in this little quilt, so you can decide how much of each, the most fabric you'll need is for the background color, I chose off white and for the backing, binding. I always use up scraps for both backing and binding as I love scrappy bindings. You can choose whatever you like, but if you're thinking 'modern' then go with new collections from recent designs. Fresh, inviting and playful seem to be very common in modern quilts.

Get yourself 16 (5 inch) squares of different colors. I chose the Geo Grand collection from Daisy Janie. I have 6 of these sets in my studio, if anyone wants to use them in this tutorial.

Sew the 5 inch sq.'s together into (4) Four Patch blocks, then choose random plaid fabrics from your stash and cut strips into 2.5 in. wide and I sewed on different strips on each side.

Then decide on how wide you want your background solid color to be, I made these additional strips ranging from 2.5 to 4.5 inch wide and used them randomly to border the Four Patch blocks.

As you can see these turned out to be not measuring up evenly as in most traditional patterns. This is where the 'negative space thing' comes in. Some have said that modern quilters just didn't know how to make things square and went with what they made. But I disagree with that, some very sophisticated traditional blocks have found homes in many modern quilts, what is paramount is the willingness to experiment and take risks.

Its OK, just let yourself trust the inner modern quilter inside you. More on Part Two....